Matt Smith cemented his place in Doctor Who history - and was in danger of becoming a permanent exhibit at a sci-fi display.

The star was having his hands set in stone when he found himself struggling to get free, telling giggling fans: "I can't get my hands out."

He was making his first visit to the Doctor Who Experience in Cardiff where he unveiled new exhibits from series seven of the hit BBC1 show.

Matt, who joined the series in 2009 to become the youngest Doctor, could have done with a chisel alongside his sonic screwdriver. He said afterwards: "I'm here in stone now, so they can never forget.

"It's exciting and it's one of those rare opportunities you get being involved with Dr Who."

But he pointed out he struggled to get the hang of the casting: "It looked like a cat had just been sick on a load of concrete the first time I did it.

The Doctor Who Experience hopes to build a collection of hand-casts over the coming years, creating a unique set of tributes to the show.

Matt, 29, also added his compliments to those from Dr Who fans who voted his new companion Oswin, played by Jenna-Louise Coleman, the sexiest yet. He predicted she would "prove very popular" and said he thinks she "looks great".

Fans got their first glimpse of her in the opening episode of the last series in September - months ahead of her expected debut at Christmas.

Matt said: "Like with any companion and Doctor relationship, the chemistry and dynamic is something that is constantly evolving and hopefully constantly progressing as the story progresses. I very much enjoy working with Jenna, she's very detailed, she works very hard, she's very prepared, I think she looks great and I think she'll prove to be very popular."